A circuit breaker includes: fixed contact points; and a moving contact assembly. The moving contact assembly includes: a shaft; a moving contact that is held in the shaft; and springs that apply torque to the moving contact. The shaft includes: stopping faces that are formed in a direction opposite to the direction in which the moving contact rotates; and guiding faces that are curved from the stopping faces. The moving contact includes: first surfaces that are formed on the radius of rotation of the moving contact; and sliding surfaces that are located at an angle to the first surfaces and slanted toward the center of rotation with respect to the line of action of a tangential force of torque at the points of contact with the guiding faces.

The invention relates to an electric contact device that is part of an electric switching device able to allow or interrupt the passage of the electric current, comprising at least one moving support (33, 35) and a contact pad (60, 62) mounted on the moving support (33, 35), the moving support (33, 35) being able to move to position the contact pad (60, 62) in contact with a fixed contact surface (38, 40) connected to an electrical conductor, the contact pad (60, 62) comprising a contact surface (34, 36) designed to cooperate with said fixed contact surface (38, 40). The contact surface (34, 36) of the contact pad (60, 62) comprises a first spherical portion, comprising an actual zone of contact with said fixed contact surface (38, 40) in the position allowing the passage of current, and, in the continuation of the first spherical portion, a second convex portion with a variable shape going from spherical to cylindrical. The invention also relates to a low-voltage single-pole phase unit comprising such an electrical contact device.

A contact carrier serves for fastening a contact element of a low-voltage protective switching device by a soldering operation, so that a solder layer is formed between the contact carrier and the contact element. The contact carrier has a contacting area for the solder layer, the contacting area for its part having a rough surface structure and being delimited by a first groove-like depression. As a result of the rough surface structure of the contacting area and the first groove-like depression, when the contact element is being fixed on the contact carrier by soldering, the solder flux can be specifically influenced to the effect that rising up of the solder at the sides of the contact element is avoided, or at least significantly reduced. The quality of the soldered connection, and consequently the reliability of the soldering process, are significantly improved in this way.

A contact slide unit for a switch unit, where the contact slide unit includes a contact slide with a switching piece displaceably guided therein, and method for mounting the contact slide unit, where the displaceable switching piece is protected on the contact slide against twisting via a separately formed anti-twist stop.

A switching device suitable for DC operation includes at least a pair of contacts having a first and second contact, wherein at least one of the two contacts is mobile and the two contacts are in contact with one another in a switched-on state and are not in contact with one another in a switched-off state, having an arc driver arrangement which generates a magnetic field at least in the region of the pair of contacts, and comprising a first arc guiding arrangement by which an arc which is produced between the contacts is guided in a first current direction to a quenching device for quenching the arc, wherein a second arc guiding arrangement is provided, by means of which an arc which is produced between the contacts is guided in a second current direction, which is opposite the first current direction, to said quenching device for quenching the arc.

A switching device comprises a first and a second fixed contact, a contact bridge, a first and a second movable contact arranged at the contact bridge, at least one contact spring and a contact bridge carrier which is movable, is coupled to the contact bridge via the at least one contact spring and comprises a carrier tip. The switching device further comprises a lever arm connected to the contact bridge and comprises a tip configured to irreversibly engage with the carrier tip of the contact bridge carrier in case of a short circuit.

High voltage micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) switches are described. A MEMS teeter-totter switch connected between two terminals of a circuit breaker can include a beam coupled to an anchor on a substrate and two control electrodes, disposed on a surface of the substrate. An electrical overstress device connected between the two terminals in parallel with the MEMS teeter-totter switch may protect the MEMS teeter-totter switch when a high voltage transient signal is applied across the teeter-totter switch.

High voltage micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) switches are described. A MEMS teeter-totter switch connected between two terminals of a circuit breaker can include a beam coupled to an anchor on a substrate and two control electrodes, disposed on a surface of the substrate. A protective switch connected between the two terminals in parallel with the MEMS teeter-totter switch may turn on during transition of the MEMS teeter-totter switch between ON and OFF states to protect the MEMS teeter-totter switch from large currents and voltages that may flow or develop across the MEMS teeter-totter switch when the voltage between two terminals is large.

High voltage micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) switches are described. A MEMS teeter-totter switch can include a beam coupled to an anchor on a substrate and two control electrodes, disposed on a surface of the substrate. A control circuit may include an optical isolator that provides an isolated activation voltage to a voltage supply and control circuit. The voltage supply and control circuit uses the isolated activation voltage to supply a control voltage to one of the control electrodes with respect to a first reference voltage, causing the beam to provide an input voltage received from an input terminal to a contact electrode of the MEMS teeter-totter switch electrically connected to an output terminal. The input voltage is applied on the beam with respect to a second reference voltage different from the first reference voltage.

Circuit breakers based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) switches are described. A high voltage MEMS teeter-totter switch can include a beam coupled to an anchor on a substrate and two control electrodes, disposed on a surface of the substrate. A control voltage applied on one of the control electrodes with respect to a first reference voltage puts one of the two ends of the beam in electric contact with one of two contact electrodes of the MEMS teeter-totter switch to electrical connected two terminals of a circuit breaker. The input voltage is applied on the beam with respect to a second reference voltage different from the first reference voltage. A MEMS teeter-totter switch network comprises a plurality of MEMS teeter-totter switches configured to switch high voltage and high current between the two terminals of the circuit breaker.